Proto-Eri

Phonology
The proto-Eri sound system is reconstructed as follows:

Gender
There are two genders:

- Masculine or inanimate: ending -∅ or -a


 * nemma 'king'
 * maf 'father'
 * nˤi:m 'nut'

- Feminine or animate: ending -ˤa:m or -am (non-human, non-animal animates)


 * ta: 'queen'
 * nˤi:tˤa:m 'sister, cousin'
 * xˤa:nkˤa:m 'female friend'
 * max 'ocean'
 * tendam 'boat'

Masculine-feminine or Animate-inanimate pairs:


 * xˤa:nk 'friend', xˤa:nkˤa:m 'female friend'
 * men 'ship, any ship', menam 'one's own ship'

Number
Marks singular: -∅ and plural:, -i, -i:

Under the sheets the children will stay dry

mena-danī-pur te'čī na'm-ī du-māʔ

sheet-LOC-under child-PL dry-PL remain-FUT

At Cardosa we defeated the Tarandim

Kardosa dan key'ma uʔ Tarandim nuto'nuy.

Kardosa LOC we.incl GEN Tarandim defeat-PERF

Now the tarandim are defeating us

Tuf Tarandim key'ma čī nu'tomer

today Tarandim we.incl ACC defeat-PRS

tomorrow we shall defeat them

mef kem tema čī nutomāʔ

Case

'tudā

tudu'čī

tudu'num

tu'duʔuʔ

tu'dul ēr er'čī er'num 'eruʔ 'el 'erne